Science Museum steps up use of contactless devices to boost donations

The Science Museum Group is stepping up its use of contactless devices to help boost donations across its five attractions across the UK.

The charity has appointed digital fundraising firm GoodBox to supply the devices across its museums.

The group includes the Science Museum in London, the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, Bradford’s Science and Media Museum, York’s Railway Museum and Locomotion in Shildon, near Darlingon.

The move has been made as the charity’s sites emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic and look to increase awareness of the importance of donations from visitors.

Science Museum Group representative Brodie Lyon said that the devices are already in place and “helping us to raise vital donations from our visitors and we hope this will continue as Covid restrictions ease further and the trend towards cashless continues”.

GoodBox co-founder and managing director Francesca Hodgson added: “It has been a tough time for museums to raise donations especially as they have had to remain closed for most of the last year, but I am sure the generosity of visitors will help them to raise much needed funds.”

In October last year the Science Museum Group revealed it was considering redundancy plans after losing £23m in revenue amid the pandemic.

Last month Goodbox revealed that the number of contactless donations has more than doubled over the last two years. The number of individual donations increase from 32,000 in May 2019 to 78,000 in May 2021.

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